Referring to the US measures against the historic nuclear agreement between Iran and the world major powers which was signed in 2015, the American physicist, Frank N. J. Von Hipple described the efforts made by the US President Donald Trump as an attempt to 'provoke Iran to get out of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)'.
In an exclusive interview with Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Von Hipple also commented on the recent deal between Iran and the French oil giant Total saying he saw the agreement as a significant development and a step to realize Iran's benefits from the nuclear deal.
Von Hipple, who used to be a former White House assistant, said that he would advise the Washington to preserve the deal and build on it, if he were in the same post today.
As a professor and Co-Director of Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University and Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Von Hipple believes that North Korea crisis today is a strong document that proves JCPOA is on its right path.
'JCPOA resolves the concerns that were about the Iran nuclear program for a period of 10 or 15 years, and I think we should use that to strengthen a non-proliferation regime,' he said, adding, 'I don’t see the logic of the people who point to North Korea as a reason to criticize the JCPOA'.
There has not been any credible claim that shows Iran has been violating the nuclear agreement, he added.
[President] Trump was quite angry that US was given no option for not certifying Iran's commitment to the agreement, according to reports, but there is no basis on the US side to do so, the American analyst added.
'It seems that they want to make demands on Iran for having access to its military sites,' Von Hipple said, adding that it is International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that should ask for access to military sites.
